Strategic CIO Advisors

Three things to look for at Amazon’s upcoming AWS re:Invent conference

As folks in the US prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, those of us in technology are looking to Amazon’s annual cloud confab AWS re:Invent the week after Thanksgiving in Las Vegas. In preparation for the sold-out conference, there are a few things to look for at the conference.

ENTERPRISE ENGAGEMENT

Amazon has done a good job of attracting the Webscale and Startup markets. One could go so far as to say that Amazon has cornered these markets. For these folks, the options are wide open to address their specific and scaling requirements. The requirements for enterprises, however, are vastly different from their webscale and startup counterparts.

Look for indications that Amazon is starting to learn how to engage enterprises and is moving in that direction. The method, language and solutions vary greatly when considering a prospective customer that has an existing footprint over those that are looking to build their first.

INTELLIGENCE: AI & MACHINE LEARNING

Amazon already has a Machine Learning solution in their portfolio today. Look for further expansion beyond just tools and into the realm of intelligence. Amazon has done a great job of create a bevy of infrastructure tools. However, moving into the intelligence space is both necessary and the logical next step in maturing Amazon’s position in this market. Also, look for Amazon’s response to the growing interest in AI solutions. In addition, the combination of AI & Machine Learning is paramount to more mature IoT solutions.

MOVING UP THE STACK

To date, most of Amazon’s portfolio targets the infrastructure end of the stack. There are a few solutions that move up the stack, but not many. Even so, Amazon has done a stellar job of their existing efforts. If, however, Amazon is intending to capture more of the enterprise market and move beyond being simply a tool provider, it needs to move up the stack into the application realm. To date, it is not clear if Amazon has both the capability and strong interest to do so.

Across the board, Amazon’s competition may not have the depth in IaaS cloud that Amazon has today. Nor do they have the ecosystem that Amazon has worked hard to build over the past 10 years. However, what they lack in IaaS depth is countered by their breadth up and down the stack. And while they may lack the breadth of features in the IaaS space compared with AWS, each are quickly catching up and are posting impressive growth rates.

Next week should provide another exciting event for Amazon and those working in the Cloud space. Whether coming from the startup, webscale or enterprise space, all eyes are on Amazon and their next move.